Sustainability forum series continues in March

Representatives from three local Green Teams – Bay Village, Fairview Park and Rocky River – gathered on Feb. 16 for a sustainability forum on the topic of single-use plastic bags. The speaker was Cuyahoga Councilwoman Sunny Simon, who addressed the logistics of implementing a plastic bag fee in Cuyahoga County. Studies show such a fee results in a 50-79 percent reduction in single-use bags. This process, not likely to move forward until 2017, would follow in the footsteps of cities across America and the world who have used economics to incentive environmental stewardship. Simon identified the efforts of Montgomery County, Maryland, as a community to model. Thank you to Councilwoman Simon for her time and candor and to Lisa McMonagle, Fairview Park Green Team volunteer, for coordinating the forum.

Building on the success of the February forum, the Fairview Park Green Team will host a second sustainability forum on Tuesday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in the Dunson Community Room at Fairview Park City Hall, 20777 Lorain Road. This forum – “Simple Steps to Natural Lawn Care & Stormwater Drainage Solutions” – will showcase ways homeowners can act to improve water quality in the Rocky River and Lake Erie watersheds.

The March 22 forum will feature two speakers. Mel Hauser is an employee of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care and a longtime advocate for preserving, protecting, and restoring the Rocky River Watershed. He will speak about organic lawn care treatments and why making this switch is beneficial to the environment. Amy Brennan is a founding member of the Fairview Park Green Team and has substantial experience working with homeowners to manage stormwater on their property. Brennan will discuss different ways to better manage stormwater on your residential property, including rain barrels, rain gardens, and downspout disconnection.